Bengaluru: As Bengaluru laces up for the ninth edition of the TCS World 10K, on Sunday, 15th May 2016, Procam International today announced Olympian and World Record Holder in Long Jump, American Mike Powell as the International Event Ambassador for Bengaluru's favorite run. With all running spots filled in record time and registration for the 10K closing 24 hours prior to the deadline, nothing seems to deter the enthusiastic Bengaluru Runner.

Mike Powell joins an elite list of athletes who have been ambassadors for this event through the years and was delighted at the opportunity of standing by a city that is so proactive in their participation. Sharing his excitement, Powell said, "It is a personal honour for me to be the ambassador of such a prestigious running event in India. When communities come together and run as one there is a sense of belonging that is inculcated in each of those runners, and that feeling is often the best runners high that there is! To be able to go out there and run a 5K, or a 10k or a marathon, holding your focus that long is very, very difficult and to have that kind of determination for that long is just amazing. I am glad to be a witness to a running revolution such as the TCS World 10K and would like to wish all the participants good luck!"

A total of 23,748 participants will take center-stage along with World half-marathon champion, Peres Jepchirchir, Gladys Chesir the fastest women in 10K, clocking 30:41 at the Berlin 10K, TCS World 10K defending champion Mosinet Geremew and former World Record holder in the marathon, Patrick Makau.

The USD 197,768 event will witness, 12,215 participants running in the 10KM; 10,425 participants in the Majja Run, 746 Senior Citizens, and 252 people in the Champions with Disability category.

Elaborating on the response received through corporates and individuals, Nagaraj Ijari, Vice President and Head - Bangalore Operations, Tata Consultancy Services shared, "Our 'Fit for life' initiative has seen over 23 million kilometres being clocked and consequently a similar amount of resources being donated for societal development. With over 4000 registered TCS employees participating in the run, 1500 have registered for the Open 10K run. The awareness raised by the various teams in Bengaluru has led to a rise in the number of corporates that have registered this edition. It is always heartening to see this level of passion and enthusiasm from the Bengaluru public and we are looking forward to a successful run indeed."

Commenting on the influence of the TCS World 10K, Shri Kapil Mohan, Principal Secretary to Govt. (Youth Empowerment and Sports Development) acknowledged the success of the run, "The TCS World 10K has been one of the trendsetters in the running movement in India and a brilliant example of public private partnership succeeding. The renewed interest in fitness and increasing awareness of the competitive aspect of sport has contributed to the rise in participation. The nation is getting younger and people are becoming aware of implementing preventive health measures. We have been collaborating with all the teams of the TCS World 10K and wish them all the best for the run."

Speaking on the countdown towards Race Day, Dilip Jayaram, CEO, Procam International shared, "With this year's run, we have hit refresh and the city has reacted positively, resulting us in closing registrations prior to our deadline a new record for us in Bengaluru. With a warm welcome from the city as always and the enthusiasm of the runners, I can confidently say that Bengaluru is ready to make the ninth edition of the run as memorable as the rest! We are honored to have Mike as the international ambassador of the event who will be cheering and inspiring the participants from the sidelines." Thanking the sponsors and partners for their support, Mr. Jayaram added, "We have, as always worked very closely with the race director on the route and have gone the extra mile with the full support of all our partners to ensure the best for each and every runner. We are conscious of the environments we conduct these runs in and will respect it while providing a good running experience."